


Sticky Notes and Spilled Boba

by KawaiiKozume



Series: Write-tober 2020 [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Poly STR, First Meetings, M/M, Meet-Cute, bloody nose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:55:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26906986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KawaiiKozume/pseuds/KawaiiKozume
Summary: All James wanted to do was get home to his roommate and relax after his long day at work. After a message from said roommate sends him further out of his way, he runs into somebody who may change his life for the best.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/James Ironwood
Series: Write-tober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1963255
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	Sticky Notes and Spilled Boba

**Author's Note:**

> First Write-tober prompt!! If you're not around my tumblr much, my write-tober plans are a fic every week that include 3, sister generated items/tropes/prompts to include.  
> The three items for this one is meet-cute, gas station and purple. Can you catch them all?  
> Much love and appreciation to the IQ server for assisting with small yes or no questions <3  
> As always, catch me at kawaii-kozume on tumblr <3<3

The sun was starting to set behind the mountains in the west and James Ironwood was driving right into it. Even though he wore sunglasses, he found himself squinting against the harsh rays. It had been a long day at work and he wanted nothing more than to just get home so he could relax. His phone lit up with a text message.

**New Text Message**

**From: Glynda**

His roommate didn’t usually text him unless it was important. He frowned and glanced up at the traffic that moved slowly along the freeway.

**From: Glynda**

**Image Attached**

James sighed and opened the phone. He pulled up his conversation with Glynda. Before he could read the text, the car in front of his came to a stop. He pressed on his brakes and glanced back down to read the message.

**Glynda: i dont know how i did it, but i killed dinner. pick something up?**

The picture that came with it was of one of their baking dishes with what looked like lasagna blackened and charred. James stared up at the roof of his car and heaved a deep sigh. He loved Glynda, really he did. She was the sister he never had. They’d seen each other through the hardest times of their lives so far and when he was ready to move out at 22, she was the only one who supported him. They’d had a good arrangement. James worked days, she worked nights. They saw each other for breakfast and dinner usually and to the outsider, they functioned like a married couple. James had no problems with his life, although he knew that he and Glynda had their moments. Like now for example. All James wanted to do was get home and relax.

The car in front of him began to move forward.

“Siri, text Glynda.” James said. The car’s mic picked it up and Siri opened a new message.

“Sure, what do you want to say?” Siri asked.

“What do you want picked up? I’m stuck in traffic so I may be cutting it close to get to you in time.” James spoke clearly, knowing Siri tended to misinterpret his speech.

“Got it. Would you like to send it?” Siri asked.

“Yes.” James said. He continued to work his way down the highway, needing to slam on his brakes a couple times due to other drivers.

**New Text Message**

**From: Glynda**

James tapped the notification and glanced down as he crawled along.

**Glynda: i don't care. popeyes?**

**James: Okay. I’m stopping for gas too. About 20 minutes.**

**Glynda: k. i'm getting into shower. doors unlocked.**

James set his phone down as he passed the bulk of the traffic and merged over to his exit. Once he was off the highway, he coasted down surface streets to the Popeyes closest to his apartment and spent 13 minutes there. After securing the bag of chicken strips and mac ‘n cheese, he sped down the road to the gas station. 5 minutes until when he told Glynda he’d get home. He jumped out of his car and went through the process of pumping gas. After setting it to auto pump, he ran into the little minimart to grab a Java Monster. It wasn’t too busy at 5:45pm, but there were two people ahead of him to check out. When he got to the counter the teenager made small talk as she rang him up.

“Hey, you again! Kinda a warm fall we’re having, yeah?” She asked. She had long, wild, golden hair that was pinned back away from her face. Her purple eyes were bright for someone close to finishing their shift.

“Uh, yeah. I heard we’re supposed to get a heatwave this weekend.” James replied. He pulled his card from the chip reader.

“Yuck, well stay cool.” She smiled at him as he took his canned drink and walked to the door. He was patting his pockets making sure he didn’t accidentally leave anything and nudge the door open with his shoulder. He was unprepared to feel resistance and then none as he pushed it open. He looked up from the ground and saw a man sprawled on the concrete on the other side of the door. James came to the realization that he hit the man with the gas station door.

“Oh my gods.” James reached out a hand to help the man up. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you through the glass.”

The man accepted James’ hand and pulled against James as he stood up. His hand was warm and surprisingly soft. He met James’ eyes and James’ breath was stolen from his chest. The man was gorgeous. His eyes were a deep rose red and he had a small amount of stubble across his jawline. Needless to say, James was smitten.

“It’s okay. You seemed lost in thought and I wasn’t paying attention to the door.” The man said with a chuckle. Then his nose started bleeding.

“Oh, your nose.” James said. The man brought a hand to his nose and pulled it away seeing the blood.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’ll be okay.” He insisted. James shook his head.

“No, let me get tissues. I’ll be right back.” James jogged across to his car, threw the can in his cup holder and grabbed napkins he kept in the center console. He ran back to the man who was now tilting his head back.

“Oh no, tilt your head forward. Otherwise the blood drains down your throat.” James said. He held up a tissue to the man’s nose and pinched as the man tilted his head forward. He watched James through his long lashes and James felt his cheeks heat up slightly. He prayed he wasn’t actually blushing.

“Thanks…” The stranger started.

“James, uh, Ironwood.” James stammered out. The stranger smirked.

“Ironwood, huh?” With his eyebrow raised and the smirk still on his face, James knew his cheeks were at least pink. “I’m Qrow.”

“Like the bird?”

“Exactly.”

James pulled the napkin away and saw Qrow’s nose was still bleeding. He held up another napkin and Qrow took over pinching his nose. As their fingers brushed again, James’ heart stuttered. Why was this man having such an effect on him?

“I’ll be okay from here.” Qrow said.

“Are you sure? Do you need anything?” James asked.

“Your number if you’re willing.” Qrow replied so smoothly, James nearly choked on his breath.

“Uhh, yeah. Yeah, sure.” James reached into his pocket, searching for something to write on and pulled out a purple sticky note and pen from his desk at work. He scribbled his number and held it out to the other man who watched him with wide eyes, as if he wasn’t expecting the pick up line to work.

“Oh, uh, okay. Thanks. I’ll be going now.” Qrow accepted the note and shuffled away inside the little store. James walked back to his car, ears pink, questioning whether it was smart or not to give his number to a stranger, albeit a pretty stranger, but a stranger nonetheless. He was pulled out of his thinking when he saw the Popeyes bag and realized it was 5 minutes past when he told Glynda he’d be home. He tore out of the gas station parking lot and if he sped a little on the way home, nobody would be wiser.

***

“I can’t believe you actually got his phone number. Run me by what happened again?” Summer asked from her perch on the back of the couch. Qrow had gotten home about an hour ago and immediately told Summer what happened. He was laying across the recliner now, holding the purple sticky note up from his face.

“He hit me with the door, my nose started bleeding and he helped stop it. I joked and asked for his number, he handed me this, and left.” Qrow said. His head was still trying to process the event and he wondered briefly if he had a concussion.

“Well, are you going to message him?” Summer asked.

“I don’t know. Would it be weird?”

“Depends, was he cute?”

“Extremely.”

“Then do it.”

“What if he’s a murderer or something? You’re supposed to talk me out of this, not encourage it.” Qrow sat up and looked at Summer.

“If he’s a murderer then at least you’ll die after going out with someone. Someone attractive at that.”

Qrow scowled at her. She had a point though. It had been too long since he went out.

“Go somewhere in public. The new poke place down the road for example.” Summer stood on the couch cushion and stepped off the couch. “Until then though, help me in the kitchen.”

Qrow pulled out his phone and plugged the number in the  **To:** line. He took a breath and started typing his message.

**To: 348XXXXXXX**

**It’s Qrow, from the gas station. Would you like to get dinner Friday?**

Qrow hit sent and dropped his phone in the chair, hoping to forget about the message but 15 minutes later as he rinsed seeds out of a bell pepper, he wondered if James responded.

***

“Glynda!” James shouted into the phone. Glynda had taken a break and called after seeing a string of frantic messages from her friend.

“James, please. There’s no need to shout.”

“Apologies. It’s just, the gas station man texted me.” James clutched the phone. “He-he asked me out.”

“And you don’t want to go?” Glynda’s voice took on her  _ I’m reasoning with a 2 year old _ tone.

“No, that’s not it. I just-I don’t know if it’s safe?” As soon as James said the excuse he knew it was a lie.

“Honestly, James. Just reply yes. This could be really good for you.” Glynda scolded him and James knew she was right. He wasn’t going to admit it yet though.

“Fine.”

“Tell me about it tomorrow morning. I’m hanging up now. Try not to freak out.” The call ended and James pulled up the new conversation with a number. He added it as Qrow(Gas Station).

**To: Qrow(Gas Station)**

**Sure. Did you have somewhere in mind?**

James was surprised that a response came 20 minutes later.

**From: Qrow(Gas Station)**

**Ever had poke?**

**No, but I’m down.**

**Koibito Poke, 6pm?**

**Sure, sounds good.**

James stared down at the phone screen and reread the conversation a couple of times before setting his phone down, deciding to distract himself for the rest of the night.

***

Friday came too quickly for James’ liking. He was growing nervous as he changed. He’d gotten off work later than he’d liked and rushed through a quick shower and was now deciding on gelling his hair to the side or not. He frowned at his reflection in the mirror and decided to go natural.

“I’ll be back sometime. If I’m not back by midnight though and you haven’t heard from me, send out a search party.” James told Glynda. She was sitting on their couch, holding a mug and watching the news.

“I’ll try to keep an eye on the time. May get distracted.” Glynda said casually. James made a mental note to text her before he came home. He’d only made the mistake of not doing that once.

“Have fun!” She said cheerily. He walked outside and started down the sidewalk to the poke shop. It was a cool night and he’d rather save gas so he walked. He continued to wonder about the situation he got himself in. On one hand, he was very interested in the idea of dating the man he ran into. On the other, he was terrified. The last man he’d dated was, not a great person and in all honesty, James was afraid to do this again. But something about Qrow was so inviting. He was lost in his head so much he didn’t realize he’d gotten to his destination or that there was somebody in front of him. He knocked into the same man he’d been daydreaming about, nearly sending him to the ground again. James had reached out and grabbed Qrow’s shirt, stopping him from falling.

“Oh!” Qrow yelped and stepped forward to regain his balance. He turned around to see James, cheeks red in embarrassment.

“You have a knack for daydreaming, huh?” He asked. James’ blush just got darker and he glanced away.

“I’m very sorry, I didn’t see you there.” He muttered. Qrow tilted his head.

“It’s kind of endearing.” James looked at him.

“It is? I’ve hit you twice now, and you say it’s endearing. You’re different, aren’t you?” James asked, opening the door of the little shop.

“Different doesn’t necessarily mean bad.” Qrow winked and walked up to the counter where a man was waiting for their orders. Qrow's order rolled off his tongue effortlessly. James noted he must come here regularly. He stepped up to the counter and ordered a medium bowl with salmon and spring mix base. There were so many options to choose from but James knew going into this, he’d only be able to have a few. Much to his surprise, as he approached the end of the line and the man checked them out, Qrow paid.

“I invited you out, I pay.” He said, picking up his bowl. “Want to eat inside or out?”

“It may get a little cold outside.” James gestured to the table to their side. He set down his bowl and pulled a chair out, offering it to Qrow.

“Oh, a gentleman!” Qrow joked as James pushed his chair in. James blushed and sat down across the man.

“So, um.” James tried, searching for a topic to talk about while they ate, “What do you do?”

Qrow tilted his head and smiled softly at him. James grew more uncomfortable and looked down to his bowl.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Qrow said. They ate in awkward silence for a couple minutes until Qrow cleared his throat.

“What about 20 questions? Basic things to try and get to know each other.” He offered. James thought about it and decided it couldn’t hurt.

“Sure, you can go first.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Red, but like a soft, pinkish-red. Yours?”

“Blue, like azure blue.”

They went back and forth like that, trading questions and answers. James learned Qrow lived with his sister’s family and he was a bartender. In return, Qrow learned James was an assistant at an engineering firm and really loved astronomy. Soon, they’d run out of food to eat and their 20 questions came to an end. James didn’t really want the night to end though and he remembered a boba shop down the way.

“How do you feel about boba?” He asked as he and Qrow left the shop. Qrow flashed him a smile.

“I love boba.” And so along they went. As they walked along, James was extremely aware of Qrow’s proximity and nearly jumped out of his skin when their hands brushed against each other. After picking up their drinks, they continued walking down the street, towards the neighborhood, making conversation about a show they both watched. James was partially paying attention to what Qrow was saying about the character arc of one of the side characters and didn’t realize Qrow stopped in front of a house. So naturally, as their relationship pattern was, James ran into him, knocking the boba from Qrow’s hand. The both watched as the cup hit the pavement and splattered everywhere. James groaned internally.

“Your mind must be huge to always be in it. What were you thinking about?” Qrow asked, shaking his hand of the milk tea. He didn’t look upset and glanced at James, awaiting an answer. James shook his head.

“Nothing, its dumb. Here, you can finish mine if you want.” James offered his cup to Qrow who accepted it with another wide smile.

“It’s not dumb. I won’t judge, promise.” He took a sip of the drink and James took a breath.

“I was just thinking about how this is probably the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” James spoke quietly, not sure if he wanted Qrow to hear it or not. But Qrow did.

“Good, I’m glad. I’d kinda like to do this again, if you’re interested.” Qrow looked up from under his eyelashes and James smiled.

“Really? Even if I keep running into you?”

“Especially if you keep running into me.”

They both stood there, regarding the other for a moment, then it grew into an awkward silence.

“Um, cool, yeah, I’d like to continue seeing you.” James stammered out. Qrow nodded.

“Well, um, I had a great time. This one’s mine, um, you be good to walk home?” Qrow asked.

“Yeah, I’m not too far from here actually.”

“Oh, cool.”

Another awkward silence. James so badly wanted to just lean forward and kiss Qrow but before he could ask, Qrow leaned up and kissed his left cheek then scurried off into the house. James stood there a moment, bringing a hand up to his face to touch the spot Qrow kissed. As he turned to walk away, he caught a glimpse of long, golden hair in the front window. Interesting, perhaps fate wasn’t to blame but nonetheless, James was happy he hit Qrow with that door days ago.


End file.
